Talk Before Sleep: A Novel

Written by Elizabeth Berg

Narrated by Elizabeth Berg

What do you say when you know you don’t have forever? Ruth has been Ann’s closest friend for years—her confidante, her solace, her comic relief, her tutor in life’s mysterious ways. So when Ruth becomes ill, Ann is there for her without question. After all, it is Ruth who encouraged Ann to become who she is, Ruth whose rebellious, eccentric spirit provided the perfect counterpoint to Ann’s conventional, safe outlook. And so the friends go on as they always have . . . gossiping, consoling, and sharing intimate secrets—but with the knowledge that each shared evening could be their last.

Acclaimed author Elizabeth Berg has created a searing novel about the strength and salvation of women’s friendships. Deeply moving and surprisingly funny, Talk Before Sleep is an intimate, uncensored portrait of love and loss, struggle and resilience

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Nov 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781480501447

Elizabeth Berg

Elizabeth Berg is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five books, including the New York Times bestsellers True to Form, Never Change, Open House, The Story of Arthur Truluv, Night of Miracles, and The Confession Club. She lives outside of Chicago. Find out more at Elizabeth-Berg.net.

Reviews for Talk Before Sleep

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Two friends deal with one's breast cancer. Poignant without being maudlin. Our book group didn't like the way she pushed all her friends away at the end. The friends just didn't seem to really connect. Maybe that was her point.

[ajlewis2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story of a woman dying with breast cancer is sad, but I found it also enriching, even nurturing. There is love shown in different ways--gifts of life given and received in spite of flaws as death comes closer.

The story comes in short scenes. The dialog and descriptions got my attention. I felt like I was watching the characters while invisible in the room.

I saw many books by Berg at the library and am eager to see what else she has done.

[terran_9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful story about friendship between two women and the support given after one is diagnosed with cancer.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ann is processing the impending death of her friend Ruth's death from breast cancer. A small and mighty circle of woman friends helps Ruth work through the stages associated with the grief of dying. Written in Berg's usual down-home style wherein beauty is observed and life's frailties are examined and over come, some of this rang true, yet other parts of the book seemed forced.I liked the book though, and could relate to much of it because I lost a female friend to ovarian cancer. Ann's husband and daughter are very patient with her while she spends most of her time helping Ruth. With the exception of a few squabbles, the group of friends hold tight to the mission of working together for the best interests of Ruth.

[bibliophileofalls · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was disappointed in this book. It was very redundant and just overly long. It was pretty difficult to even like Ruth, the terminal patient. Ann, the faithful friend, was rather unbelievable and her too close friendship with Ruth, plus the presence of the obviously gender-confused L.T. made one wonder if the too close friendship was going to turn sexual at some point. Ann's husband was absolutely unreal in his patience with having his wife gone to stay with Ruth for days at a time and also leaving their young daughter at the drop of a hat to be with her dying friend. I guess the book said a lot about the value of friends but it sure didn't say much about the importance of family and the responsibilities that go with having a family.I gave this book 3 stars which to me means OK because I did finish it but I certainly couldn't recommend it.

[penske_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If you're looking to spend an afternoon cuddled up with a book and a cup of tea you really can't go wrong with Elizabeth Berg. Her books are quick reads with uncomplicated themes and she's a compelling storyteller. Talk Before Sleep is no different although I think a little shorter than most. The characters are well-drawn and mostly likeable. I wish I had such an assortment of friends! This is fine chick lit.

[madcatter-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book broke my heart.

[mom2acat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully told story about two best friends, Ann and Ruth, and what happens after Ruth is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Not only is Ann by her side, but also Ruth's small but eclectic group of her other friends gather by her side also, and each person helps Ruth in her own unique way.I was drawn to this story because I also have terminal breast cancer, and I was glad to see the author tackle this subject (she also lost a good friend to breast cancer) and tell the truth about it; that breast cancer is not always a "curable" kind of cancer, a message that is often lost, especially during the month of "Pinktober" in the lands "pink ribbons" and all the crap that goes with it.; breast cancer is not cute, and it not pretty; the American Cancer Society estimates that 40,290 women will die of breast cancer this year. I may well be part of that statistic myself as my oncologist recommended just 2 weeks ago that I should be thinking about starting hospice care.My only complaint about this novel was that I felt it was too short, and because of that, not all of the characters felt fully developed to me.

[lynetterl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It seems when I read books about adult women friendships, I struggle with not liking the characters all that much and therefore wondering about the strength of the friendship. Ann's friend Ruth is dying of cancer. She and Ruth's group of friends rally around her, coming and going and showing their different ways of coping and supporting their friend. Clearly the depth of the friendship and the associated heartbreak of Ann comes through clearly. What I struggled with was why Ann was such friends with Ruth in the first place, especially since it seemed to involve Ann totally abandoning her own husband and child for what seemed to be weeks on end. I understand grief, I do, and clearly that was there, but I was pretty tired of all of them by the end.

[ericasz_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Heartbreaking and lovely. Really enjoyed reading the book. I think I need to re read it to remind myself of the friendship bond they had. It was a standout.

[detailmuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Especially in her earliest novels, Elizabeth Berg is the literary equivalent of a hug -- short, women’s-friendship stories that are full of spot-on observations and emotional truths.In this one, Ann, who (though married) “hadn’t realized how much {she’d} been needing to meet someone {she} might be able to say everything to” until she met Ruth, now finds herself one in a small group of caregivers as Ruth declines from metastatic breast cancer. It’s a tender story, and while I didn’t particularly like Ruth nor accept the depth of their friendship, I did feel the weight of Ann’s caregiving. When the work gets too hard, you stop talking about it. You just try to do it....{My husband and daughter} are going to {a store} to get light bulbs. I am ashamed at what I am feeling: I want to go, too. I want to walk up and down long aisles, saying, “Let’s see. Q-tips? Do we need shampoo?” I want doormats and polyester blouses and matched sets of mixing bowls to be the only thing in my head....Women do not leave situations like this: we push up our sleeves, lean in closer, and say, “What do you need? Tell me what you need and by God I will do it.” {…} I’ve heard that when elephants are attacked they often run, not away, but toward each other. Perhaps it is because they are a matriarchal society....How is it that we dare to honk at others in traffic, when we know nothing about where they have just come from or what they are on their way to?

[daddyofattyo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another great book by this writer, my third. This one is about a group of friends caring for one of their own dying of cancer. Told by Ann, the closest friend to the patient, Ruth. Ruth is very popular with a great melange of friends - tough, butch L.D., professional pretty Sarah, sophisticated, gorgeous Helen, and adoring, delicate, hard-loving, true-blue Ruth. Really good, fast read - difficult to read since I mostly read it on the busy bus from work and had to choke back sobs and sniffles...Actually had to leave the last little bit to finish at home so as not to embarrass myself...

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wish I could have liked this at all given the subject and inspiration for the novel. It's a story told by Ann in first person about her best friend Ruth who is dying of cancer. The story is mostly told in present tense, but there are frequent flashbacks telling us about their friendship in the past tense. I don't have complaints about the style. It's fine, even if not something that invokes writer's envy. My problem is that the story and characters left me cold.A note from the author says the book was inspired by the need to express the "emotional truth" about her loss of a "very important friend" to breast cancer. Maybe those who've survived cancer or lost someone they loved to that disease will resonate more with this story. The thing is, I think part of the problem is that it was too centered on her illness and coming death. I recently read Alice Hoffman's The Probable Future and a central character there is dying of cancer. I found her situation much more poignant and moving I think partly because it dealt more with her living her life while dying. Despite Berg's claim that this was grounded in her personal experience, I also found it hard to credit someone within weeks of dying of the disease would be able to pig out on lobster and fries.Besides which, I find it hard to be moved by a story of a dying friend and her immortal friendship if I utterly despise the character. And the truth is I hated Ruth with the heat of a thousand suns without once getting the feeling we were meant to. Something in her personality I can't point to rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning, but I soon got plenty of reasons I can articulate to loathe her more and more with every page. She claims her husband is "manipulative" and cold but says she doesn't divorce him for the sake of their nine-year-old son. That doesn't stop her though from casual serial infidelity--she's sure she won't get caught. Worse, she encourages her friend, who also has a young child, to do the same. But worst of all? She asks her friend to lie for her to her husband. That's when I lost all potential sympathy. That's not the act of a friend, but a user.

[punxsygal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Ruth and Ann first met, they didn’t like each other. But another encounter in a bathroom got them talking and realizing they had more in common than first thought. Eventually they became best friends, sharing movies, sundaes, kids and truths about their marriages. Then one day Ruth discovers a lump in her breast and their friendship faces a harsh test. I’ve been lucky and have not had to face this with a good friend. I only hope that should that come up, I can face it with the humor, thoughtfulness, dignity, and closeness that Ruth and Ann shared, along with their other good friends. The story will stay with me for a long time.

[bookwormteri · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I should have wept at the end of this book, women rallying around their friend with terminal cancer, but didn't. Don't get me wrong, I did squeeze out a few tears, but wasn't a blobbering mess. I have lost people to cancer, some of them very close to me, this book should have really affected me, but it feel short. It is a good book, a quick read, but for some reason, I wasn't as invested as I felt that I should have been.Worth a read, but don't expect to be demolished by it.

[booklady2031 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story of the love between friends. The relationships felt very real to me, and while the story was sad I was left with a sense of joy at what we can mean to one another. I passed this one along to all of my friends.

[c_why · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

sensitively handled, very real characters, clear not a bit muddied in tone, no wallowing. Life is to get on with in the most joyous way you can.

[amaryann21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Poignant and touching, though a bit too drawn out for my tastes. Berg deals with the topic of death with grace and dignity.

[bellettres · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel was my introduction to Elizabeth Berg, and I read it shortly after a very close friend died of lung cancer. It made me weep, of course, but it made me chuckle as well. As I learned from subsequent books by Berg, this is one of her talents: the ability to evoke mixed emotions. The women who care for Ruth emerge as "real" people, and the situation is so compelling that it caused me to read the whole book twice, and then one more time several years later. I loved it.

[katie_h_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this heartbreaking novel about love and letting go, Ann chronicles the powerful story of her best friend Ruth's struggle with breast cancer: from diagnosis, to denial, to fear, and finally to acceptance, as well as sharing her own experience in coping with the tragic truth and nurturing her friend as best as she can. The author superbly captures the female experience, both in the dialogue and actions of the characters. All of her characters are realistic and so easy to relate to, and she really understands the special connection and intimacy that women feel for one another. Sarah, is the realistic friend who takes care of the "business," such as helping Ruth pick out a cemetary plot. LD is the tough, positive friend who refuses to allow Ruth to give up hope, and finally, Helen is Ruth's childhood friend, who knows Ruth like she knows herself. While the decline of Ruth's health is central to the story, this is not merely a testament of survival and death. The heart of the novel is a celebration of the wonderful friendships that women share. I would recommend this to all women who appreciate the value of female friendship, and especially those who are dealing with or have dealt with cancer or terminal illness.

[lorabear · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was my favorite so far from Elizabeth Berg. I laughed, and I cried. I was not ready for the book to be over, not that it ended bad........but I was not quite ready to let go of this one:) A great read for anyone.

[writestuff_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love everything Elizabeth Berg writes, and this book was no different. A poignant story about the enduring strength of women's friendships. The book is simply beautiful ... a journey of discovery told through Ann's POV as her best friend, Ruth, succumbs to breast cancer. Only Berg, can make me laugh and cry at the same time. This is not so much about Ruth's death, but a celebration oflife and friendship...but I warn you, you will need a box of klenex at the end. The book is filled with beautiful writing...one of my favorite passages:'Still, I know if Ruth's mother were alive, she would handle this, draw from the reservoir of sacred strength that women are born with. She would wear clothes whose very smell comforted Ruth, she would put on an apron and make her soup and butter her toast and help her to walk to the bathroom when she needed it; and when things turned the worst, she would not leave. Women do not leave situations like this: we push up our sleeves, lean in closer, and say, "What do you need? Tell me what you need and by God I will do it." I believe that the souls of women flatten and anchor themselves in times of adversity, lay in for the stay. I've heard that when elephants are attacked they often run, not away,but toward each other. Perhaps it is because they are a matriarchal society.'

[nevacampbell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I want to move into these women's lives.

[magst_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read for all women!! Wonderful clear language and a complete understanding of what it is like to lose someone you love, made this book a true pleasure to read. Anyone feeling sorry for oneself, will see that life as an amazing blessing to be grasped and lived to it's fullest. You will laugh and cry simultaneously!!